Protests Reported At Iran Chemical, Tire Factories

Workers at two factories in Iran are reported to have protested their
employment conditions in recent days, RFE/RL's Radio Farda reports. The protests
drew in workers of the Alborz tire factory near Tehran and a major petrochemical
plant in the northern city of Tabriz.

workers demonstrating in Iran
(file photo)

A labor activist in Tehran who spoke on condition of anonymity
told RFE/RL that several Alborz workers gathered in front of the factory on
March 2 to protest unpaid wages.

This followed a protest at the plant two days earlier, when hundreds of workers
along with their families gathered in front of the factory, according to the
opposition website Sahamnews.

And on February 26, according to the Iranian Free Labor Union, over 300 Alborz
workers held a protest rally in front of the district office of Chahar Dang to
demand immediate attention be paid to their situation.

The factory has seen frequent protests and strikes in recent years over unpaid
wages.

Meanwhile, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported on March 2 that about
1,800 contractors of the Tabriz petrochemical plant protested against the
management's decision not to renew their contracts.

Some unofficial reports suggest the workers also demanded an increase in their
wages as well as benefits such as health insurance.